Catching Your Breath
by WickedWitch1313
Summary: ONE-SHOT. Episode 1X08: Born to Run. Jane must have been crazy to agree to run the hill. She never thought it would be THIS hard.


_A/N: This is another Jane/ Maura friendfic. I hope you enjoy it. This one is based off of episode 1X08: Born to Run. It is set following the episode's ending. All rights belong to TNT._

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"Jesus Christ," gasped Jane as she clutched at the stitch in her side. "Why the _hell_ did I agree to this?"

Maura chuckled at her friend as they slowed to a stop, just past heartbreak hill. Jane was doubled over in a mixture of pain and exhaustion. Without thinking twice, she collapsed in the grass by the side of the road.

"You'd think," she said, brokenly, gulping in large amounts of oxygen after each word, "That spending all that time at the gym, I'd be… a bit more prepared for this."

"Jane," replied Maura as she wiped down a public bench next to Jane's section of grass before sitting on it. "People train for _months_, years even, to do that and many still don't make it. I read about one man who daily ran through the streets of San Francisco to prepare for this marathon."

"I'm not _in_ San Francisco. I'm in Boston. And I'm _sore_."

"That's to be expected. Running on a treadmill for a few hours in a gym won't provide you with the necessary endurance to run such a demanding race. Maybe an increased amount when in comparison to-"

Maura's words were drowned out as Jane groaned loudly, covering her face grumpily to deafen the sound.

"Oh god, please, Maura, stop with the tech-talk. Can't we just sit here…_quietly_?"

Maura's mouth twitched. She repressed a comment on the likelihood of quiet when referring to Jane Rizzoli. She pay to see it happen. Instead, she followed Jane's gaze up to the black curtain of the night sky. Bright, glittering stars be speckled it's surface. It was beautiful.

Maura heard Jane sigh contently from the ground.

Then, in a quiet voice filled with her trademark rasp, she said to Maura "Come lay with me."

Maura looked down at her running suit. The ground was probably dirty…

"C'mon! You're space-suit won't melt. I'll pay for the dry-cleaning myself if it bothers you that much." Jane coaxed.

Maura rolled her eyes. Sometimes it was infuriatingly scary how well Jane managed to read her mind. She gently lowered herself onto the grass beside her friend, making sure to pull her hair over her shoulders as to minimize dirt exposure. Though, if she was being honest, it was already beyond hope. Having been entangled and entrapped in that god-awful aerodynamic latex hood all day, it was pretty much helpless.

She glanced over at Jane again. She was once more focused on the night sky.

Maura had just turned to mirror her when Jane surprised her again.

"I love the sky." She began, her voice hardly above that of a whisper. "It's so unchangeable, unmovable." She paused for a moment, organizing her thoughts. "I see s much violence and hate in my job. Well, you know." She added, glancing at Maura whose rapt attention she had full possession. "You see more dead each day than a funeral home operator. But I like knowing that even though there are sick monsters like Hoyte out there, killing mindlessly for some kind of psychotic high… even though those creeps are always out there like some black blemish on the face of mankind, even then, it's nice to know that there is an equally permanent good thing. I'm probably not making any sense-"

"No! I get what you mean. I feel that way about clothes." Maura jumped in.

Jane snorted. "Yeah, okay, I'm thinking maybe you _didn't_ quite get my little speech. Those two things aren't remotely comparable."

"They are!" protested Maura, propping herself gracefully up on her elbow so she should see the full form of Jane lying beside her. "I love that no matter how many young or successful or sad or innocent people I see on my table there is always a new style or fashion developing. The ingenious people who are designing clothing… designing _life_, they distract me from the depressing side of the job. Instead, I am left with only the good parts."

"Like what?"

"I get to help the dead find peace. They can rest assured that their killer will meet the justice that he or she deserves."

Jane looked at Maura. Her face had obtained that familiar glow that appeared anytime she spoke of some scientific discovery or a new project she was working on. Jane loved that glow.

Quirking up the corner of her mouth, she moved to sit up. Tapping Maura on the leg, she motioned for the M.E. to do the same.

"C'mon, Ms. Louis Vitan, let's get you home."'

Maura smiled, "You know designers, Jane? I'm _so _proud!"

Jane rolled her eyes and pulled Maura up to her feet. "Hardy-har-har. Let's go."

Maura laughed openly and they made their way down the road toward the precinct where they'd left their cars.

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_A/N 2: Major fun in this chapter. If you enjoyed it, hated it, loved it or have suggestions on other one-shots, do tell. Review!_


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